June has been proclaimed “Next Gen Month” in Edmonton. As I look at the various organizations under that umbrella, I often find myself asking “where are the women?” or more specifically “where are the women like me?”

From my (probably biased) perspective, those who are most involved fall into three categories:

single men

single women

married men with supportive wives (with or without children)

It got me thinking – where are all the women with young families? If the ultimate goal of those organizations is to make Edmonton a more vibrant, livable city for my generation and the next, where are the voices of the women working to make the city better while trying to balance challenging careers and kids. Certainly I’m not the only one who’s TOTALLY FINE with drive-through banks as part of a denser city?

As a marketer, I understand the power of mothers – we make most of the consumer decisions in the household and therefore hold a lot of power. Many many many organizations want to hear what moms have to say. But does anyone care what those same women have to say outside of their roles as moms and household managers?

Am I splitting hairs here? Perhaps.

But I know there are women like me out there. I work with them, I work for them, and they’re in my book club and my twitter feed. A while ago, one of them whom I greatly admire told me (in her kind and supportive, yet no nonsense way) that if I wanted that voice heard, perhaps I should stop bitching and start talking (I paraphrase).

It took me a while, but I finally took her advice, and I’ve decided to run for a position on the Board of Directors of a local industry organization.

I’m hoping to find plenty of women with young families (and super supportive husbands) who are already out there, being part of the conversation. I know that since I’ve been thinking about this issue, I’ve found more and more of them and it makes me happy. I hope I’m joining a chorus.

You know from our conversation over coffee not that long ago that I agree with you, Kiri. Most of the people I know in those Next Gen groups fit into the categories you describe. Some I know are attached women, but certainly they aren’t moms yet. Ironic that the people working directly to produce a “next generation” aren’t more prominent.

However, one thing you mentioned to me, but not here, is that many of these groups host events and meetings that just aren’t a good fit with a working mom’s schedule most times. I’m glad you’re running for that Board; I wish you lots of luck. Hopefully more intelligent, professional mothers will follow the same path too.

What a great post! I’m on my second maternity leave and feeling more and more out of the loop, but trying my best to keep up. Best of luck in your run for a board position – I’ll be interested to hear how it goes and will be subscribing to your blog. 🙂